Church News

Sharing the Journey

Greetings and salutations in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer!

As I sit here writing this piece for our newsletter I am reflecting on how fast time moves along. Most of you who’ve been here know that I am fond of using the statement, “Time flies when we’re having fun, we must be having a blast!” It’s unreal how time seems to fly nowadays. Seems like we were just celebrating a brand- new year and now we are more than halfway through that year. The days of summer are waning. As of right now, school is back in for another year. Soon it will be fall again, time to go hunting, all the stores will have Christmas decorations for sale, and time keeps marching on. I sure am glad that none of it takes our God by surprise; He knows exactly what He’s doing. It sure is a good thing God’s in control. If we were in control, we’d have long since messed it all up. We serve a powerful God, a sovereign God, and all-knowing, all- present God; a God who STILL CAN!

Sometimes we can kind of get a little bit sad or depressed when we think about how fast time flies; we think about the things that maybe we didn’t get to do, about things we forgot to do, you name it. It makes perfect sense that we would think that way because we like to accomplish things, we like to get things done, and we want plenty of time to do them. What better reason for us as children of God to give God the trust that He’s due? I remind us of a couple verses that I continually turn to and continually encourage others to remember. The first is Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Solomon, the wisest of all men (aside from Jesus Himself), under inspiration, wrote in this passage that if we want direction, we need to trust God. Reminder, he tells us that we need to trust God with EVERYTHING we have. He doesn’t tell us to trust God with a few things. Secondly, we consider Philippians 4:6-7: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passesth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Paul, under inspiration, who lived hundreds of years after Solomon, exhorts us with the same wise advice: trust God with everything. Child of God? Do you want direction and peace in the midst of time flying by and maybe it finds you wondering where time went or perhaps stressed or depressed that time flew by before you had the opportunity to finish something or do something? Trust God with all of it. Enough said.

I pray God’s blessings on all as we enter into this the latter few months of the year. Looking forward to wonderful blessings as we preach, pray, study, and see what God has in store. We will be celebrating Homecoming Sunday on September 28, World Communion Sunday on October 5, to name a couple of upcoming celebrations. Be sure to be in prayer for these and most important, to come and be a part of these celebrations. Step number 1 is to SHOW UP!

God bless and keep you,
Daniel
Phil. 4:13

RHETT WALKER
Henry County Fair and Spirit FM presents Rhett Walker on Friday, September 26, 7:00 PM at the Henry County Fair at Martinsville Speedway. His song, “Man On The Middle Cross” was nominated Bluegrass/Country/Roots Song of the Year for the 55th Annual Dove Awards in 2024.

Homecoming Celebration
Spread the word and invite your friends and neighbors to Oak Level Baptist Church Homecoming Celebration on Sunday, September 28, beginning at 10:30AM (No Sunday school). Special music will be presented by April Neal of Vandola Baptist Church, Danville, VA. Dr. Len Keever will be our Guest Speaker. Lunch to follow; bring your favorite covered dish and/or dessert. Join us for a morning of music, worship, and fellowship as we celebrate God’s blessings on this church past and present.

CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
The Church Council will meet Wednesday, October 1, at 6:00 p.m. Come prepared to plan events for the church calendar through March 2026. Those on the church council include: Pastor, Deacons Chairperson, Music Director, Stewardship Chairperson, Sunday School Director, and WMU Director. Other committee chairpersons are encouraged to attend if they have items to add to the calendar.

2026 BUDGET REQUESTS
The Stewardship Committee is beginning the process of working on the 2026 OLBC budget. All committee and organizational chairs are asked to submit their budget requests for the 2026 calendar year by Sunday, October 12. Place your requests in the Stewardship box in the Sunday School office or give them to Ben Morris, Ken Turner, or Jim McMillan. The 2026 budget will be presented on the first Sunday in November. Any changes to the budget will need to be addressed at the November 12th business meeting. The 2026 budget will be presented for adoption on Sunday, November 23rd.

HENRY COUNTY BAPTIST ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING
The Annual Meeting of the HCBA will be held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, and hosted at McCabe Memorial Baptist Church. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. followed by a meal at 5:00 p.m. The messengers that were voted on were: Ben & Peggy Morris, Lance Frith, Betty Jo Foley and Daniel Collins. Doug Ramsey, Pat Gusler, and Brenda Ferguson are alternates. A head count is needed for the meal before September 30.

Meetings
Tuesday - September 23 – 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday - October 28 – 6:30 p.m.

ALMA HUNT OFFERING
The Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions was named for Alma Hunt, a native Virginian who was known worldwide for her missions service and her unswerving dedication to the cause of Christ. This annual state missions offering is a joint venture of Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia (WMUV) and the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV). "In every season, God calls us to a faith that lives-one that moves, gives, serves, and loves. In a world full of challenges and change, faithful followers of Jesus continue to embody the gospel through word and action. This is what it means to have a Living Faith. The Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions helps make that faith visible-meeting real needs, offering hope, and transforming lives in communities across our state and beyond. Collected year-round, with a special emphasis each September, the offering equips Virginia Baptists to live out a vibrant, working faith as we serve together on mission with God.” The OLBC 2025 Goal is set at $1000. A special ingathering of this offering is Sunday, September 14.

Christmas Child
In October, please consider donating toward the shipping cost of $10 each. If you have not given to this worthwhile project and would like to you can mark your donation "Shoebox Shipping".

GETAWAY WITH US THIS FALL!
Sometimes we all need to get away. But what if your weekend away could have a lasting impact on your faith, mental health, relationships, and community? Join us in person this fall at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center in Lynchburg. There will be worship, bible study, dozens of breakout opportunities, and space for you to rest and reconnect with God and others. Save the date to attend Friday-Saturday, November 7-8. Registration for Getaway 2025 is now open via Eagle Eyrie’s website. If you are interested, please let Donna Winebarger know before September 22.
 

SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR INCLEMENT WEATHER
The Wednesday evening service is NO LONGER tied to the notice of schools closing for inclement weather. The church office will send out an email IF there has been a decision to cancel Wednesday services or you can call the office or a deacon to verify the cancellation. For announcements concerning Sunday Morning Services, listen to B99 FM radio or watch TV Stations, WDBJ, Channel 7 or WSLS, Channel 10, for possible church cancellations.

THE GRACE NETWORK OF MHC
OLBC is just one of over one hundred congregations and other groups that partner with Grace Network to help families in crisis in Martinsville and Henry County. “Grace Network strives to give short-term assistance and to help find long-term solutions.” Each month we can help needy families by giving nonperishable food items, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and paper products. Check out the church bulletin to see what OLBC has pledged to give. You can be a part of this ongoing mission when you donate to this worthy cause. Visit their website at www.gracenetworkmhc.org to learn more.

Sharing the Love
Each week our folks are visiting friends throughout the community to let them know we love and care for them. Sometimes it is to sit and pray with someone suffering from injury or illness and unable to get out. At other times it's to get to know neighbors in the area and to introduce them to the ministries of Oak Level, if they do not have a church home of their own. In every instance it is another opportunity to go in the name of Jesus in order to be an ambassador of love. If you have never experienced the joy of visiting others or meeting new friends in this way, please know that you are more than welcome to join us. Visitation times are flexible according to your schedule, and there are plenty of folks that you already know who would be honored to go with you. Contact any deacon or the pastor for more information.

Newsletters
We publish our newsletter at Oak Level Baptist Church every two months. If you would like to have a copy, please feel free to download one of the newsletter PDF files.

September 2025 - October 2025 Newsletter (in PDF format)
July 2025 - August 2025 Newsletter (in PDF format)
May 2025 - June 2025 Newsletter (in PDF format)
March 2025 - April 2025 Newsletter (in PDF format)
January 2025 - February 2025 Newsletter (in PDF format)

For older PDF newsletters, please click to visit our Archive page.